This morning I went to my local bank to make a deposit. Now mind you, I am at this bank many times a week and I know they have high curbs, so you need to make a wide turn when exiting the bank. Oh no...not this morning, I have to make my turn to sharp and I scraped one of my 19 inch rims. So there it is a two inch scrape on the outside of the rim...what is the best way to fix that? I know I can't do it, so do I send it to a body shop or what. The problem is someone walking by the car would probably not notice it unless they really looked...BUT I know it is there and it bothers me alot since I do take real good care of my cars. What an idiot I am for doing it in the first place.

 

I'd leave it alone...A few weeks from now you'll forget its even there.

After 6 months if it still bothers you...ship your rim and tire to "wheels of america" and for all of a $120 dollars per rim they will fix you right up. You just have to put your car up in the air till the wheel /tire returns.

I think its a 24 hour turn around from the shop. Add freight time and your good to go...

I try and never let the little nicks on rims bother me...It happens if you use the car...Which is what its made for.

 

Some time ago a link was posted on repair of scraped wheels. I can't remember who originally posted it, but it was for:

http://www.audiworld.com/tech/ext43.shtml

 

Thanks RickB...I will look into that and see what can be done!

 

We also all got into a huge discussion about what a nightmare that would be and how it is NOT the right way to fix a rim.
You're best bet is to take it to a local (but reputable) wheel repair shop or as suggested above ship it out and have it done right. I would suggest either fixing it the right way or leaving it as it is as opposed to cheaply and incorrectly "filling" it. Just my two cents!

 

wheel shop can repair it as good as new. you'll never even know it happened.

 

I did something similar once by turning in my front tires before. I was fully out of a parking spot once and scraped my front left rim on a cement side curb.

I did exactly what the above link recommended, except for the final matching coat of spray paint. What I did for that step was to use silver (Testors brand) enamel plastic model paint with a fine paint brush instead. This eliminated the overspray or tape mask lines you would get with a can of paint. The Testors silver was an exact match for our rim color. It turned out really, really well.

I would say that doing it yourself like the link describes will get you very close to a brand new looking rim, depending on how much time you spend on it. It really isn't very hard, and NO ONE can tell, even when I have pointed it out. It is there if you look really close, but it is very hard to see. I have even found myself forgetting that it was even there at times.

Good luck!

 

That isn't a bad temporary solution, however model paint doesn't hold up to heat / weathered conditions quite like rim paint would. You'll see over time it will discolor from brake dust / wheel cleaners, and general heat produced from breaking. Especially if you ran a layer of clear coat over it. It will start to yellow over time.

 

I would have thought the same thing about the yellowing and the overall durability of the model paint. I did the repair about a year ago now, and I just got back from looking closely at the rim.

It is surprising how good it still looks. A slight discoloration, but from 3 - 4 feet away, it still looks relatively invisible. From 5+ feet away, it is absolutely invisible.

I still think this is a very cost/time effective solution to the classic rim scrape on a painted rim problem. Not the ultimate fix, but an 80% fix for a miniscule time and money investment. My kind of bargain!

 

This is correct. Most people wouldn't even notice it. Heck it doesn't even come up on pictures. I did the same thing to a rim on my old car. It had a polished lip with a clear coat. I wet sanded it down after brushing a curb. I then cleaned it up and dried it really nice. Used testors clear gloss and air brushed it onto the rim. I think over the course of 3 years it got slightly discolored as you described.

 

I fixed mine myself and am happy with the results. Go here for details and a picture.

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...ead.php?t=7700

 

Was talking to a owner of a local body shop and he recommended using Alloy Wheel Repair. They come right to your business and fix the wheels onsite. So I called them today and low and behold they are in my town on Thursdays. The guy came in an hour later and as of 10 minutes ago my wheel is fixed and looking like new. What a terrific service and the total cost was $65.00, which I didn't feel was bad at all. They also offer dent repair and painting, I guess. Now I have to watch myself and stay away from the curbs!!!

 

So if you take it to a wheel or body shop, how do they go about repairing it? Is it pretty much the same concept?

 

Or just buy a used wheel for $200.

 

Wait for your wife to scrape all 4 and then get after market rims! She's got three down, one to go.

 

This was posted before I joined the Forum, but this brought back a nightmare that occured twice to me.

Like the poster I go to the same bank most every day that you have to make a wide turn into the bank drive through under the parking garafe.. Well I not only hit the curb, I blew the left rear tire. To make matters worse, I did the exact same thing 30 days later. Needless to say that rim has a couple of nice gouges and it cost me $700. just for the tires. ....DUH ....You would think I would have figured out the first time that those curbs move right when you are turning into the drive through.

Maybe it is because I am from OHio. It's an OHio thing. Curbs move.